The new owners of troubled Bradford firm Diamond Seal today vowed to turn the company round with a massive investment plan which will create new jobs.

James Maye, group financial controller of the Hurst Group, said the firm would eventually plough £500,000 into the crisis-hit company in machinery alone and was planning to expand the firm.

Mr Maye said the Hurst Group, which bought the Diamond Seal name and its assets for an undisclosed sum yesterday, was planning to integrate the windows, conservatory and doors firm with its own shop front business.

The Hurst Group has only been in Bradford since January even though it has been trading for 30 years. The firm was founded by current chairman Norman Hurst in Brighouse and outgrew the two sites it had there so it moved to a new base in Low Moor.

Mr Maye said the Hurst Group would retain the Diamond Seal name but in three months would be looking for new premises for the business - currently based in Gaisby Lane - somewhere in Bradford.

Diamond Seal collapsed last month with debts of about £1 million. It was bought by the Hurst group from receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Diamond Seal - which has been in business for 20 years and has a national profile - was placed in the hands of the administrative receivers last month. It made 70 production staff redundant.

Factory workers said then they were stunned by the announcement.

The company was a former Bradford City sponsor and had a turnover of £7 million. It was started as a single showroom and expanded into a multi-million pound company.

The Hurst Group is one of Britain's leading store-fitting and interior contracting organisations and has a turnover of more than £40 million. The firm said the purchase of Diamond Seal was part of the group's acquisition and development plan, and was expected to bring a growth in turnover to more than £60 million in the next two years.

Norman Hurst said Diamond Seal had a well-earned reputation for quality and service which fitted in with his company's ideology. He said: "Our intention is to align our bespoke manufacturing facilities with this new venture to develop exciting new offers for our clients. We intend this business to develop further solutions in the aluminium window/shop front and glazing industries."

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